How are you frugal?

[TennesseeTruly]

Our biggest way we became frugal was when we moved from NY to TN. The amount of money that we save monthly and yearly is amazing.

We grow almost all of our own veggies, give our animals their shots that we get at a discount, found a vet that charges a $10 office visit per visit not per animal so we bring as many as we can at once.

Of course we no longer have to purchase store bought eggs! Use a mail in pharmacy and purchase our meds every 3 months instead of a local pharmacy. We bake most of our own bread, make most of our own pasta, we have movie night at home instead of going out to the movies.

Because my grandson gets SSI, we get a free cell phone so we no longer have to pay for a cell phone.

The list goes on and on....

Laurie

 

[For-The-Love-Of-Chickens]

We went on a budget and we stick too it, no matter what!

I have a laundry schedule. I make my own laundry soap.

Coupons. I do the Grocery Game.

I have stay at home weeks to cut back on gas.

We have a woodstove. And we use oil filled heaters downstairs only where the pipes run to cut down on the heat costs.

We are sticklers for weather-proofing! We plastic over windows, caulk, add weatherstripping where needed, cover doors with blankets, insulate light switches and outlets, etc. Saves a bunch come winter time!

Hang up laundry to dry. I have three racks that sit in the living room by the woodstove, and a big clothesline downstairs for sheets and blankets and stuff.

And of course chickens......for eggs only though. Maybe the next batch my son won't name and teach tricks to so we can actually eat them.

 

[DianeB]

Quote:
Winco is the worst. I figure that is how they make a profit with low profits. I always make sure to watch the monitor as they ring me up and look over the receipt as I leave.
A little known law is if something is stocked in the wrong place they must still give you the price that is posted underneath the item. Also, make sure to match up the UPC code with the posted price to make sure of the price. That way you know what they are really charging you.

DB

 

[mychooks]

Quote:

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

I compare the unit pricing on items at the grocery store. I also do quick math to see if two smaller items of the same thing are better priced and more volume larger item.

My mom taught me young to watch the clerks like a hawk. Of course that was back when they had to push the buttons and turn the crank - no just kidding about the crank thing - I'm not that old.

Sandee

 

[Quillgirl]

I'm very frugal in some areas so that I don't have to be frugal in others. Sort of a shuffle game...

I make my shopping list using couponmom.com which matches store sales with coupons so that the discount is doubled or tripled (sometimes even free.) However, once I am in the aisle, I will abort the coupon if another similar item is less expensive. I only buy what we use. I typically spend about $80 per week for our family of 4 and we eat WELL. (Last year my savings using this system amounted to about $1100.)

My dad and boys hunt, so we have venison and boar every year. When the stores have "loss leader" sales on chicken or fish I stock up and put away. Shop for fresh vegetables at the local farmer's market. Much better food for less money. (I don't have a good yard for a garden.)

Before purchasing anything online, I always plug in the website with the words "discount promo coupon code" in the google bar. Often there are amazing promo codes you can enter for percentage off. I almost always find a discount by doing this. Free money, IMO.

I always pay off credit cards in full each month. (Yes, I have them for convenience.) We have cards with "rewards" which means a slightly higher interest rate. However, by paying them off we get the money rebate without the interest payments! I'm a free-loader.

We buy only used cars and drive them until the wheels fall off.

I shop around and review our insurance plans (auto, home, health, etc.) each year to make sure we have the best and most appropriate coverage at the best rates. I negotiate with physicians and dentists because we have a high deductible health care plan and I am covering the first few thousand $$ so I make sure I am not paying more than an insurance company would pay. This saves money on health insurance premiums, and actually out of pocket expenses too. We cut our total medical expenses by half last year with this plan. (Saving that first few thousand in a health savings account makes it tax deducible. This makes the medical payments deducible. If we don't spend the money we keep it and it's still deductible.) In the grand scheme, this has made the largest impact in our financial bottom line. I guess this is more about being financially wise rather than frugal.

I cook nearly all our meals at home and from scratch. Very little pre-packaged stuff. We do enjoy meals out sometimes-- can't say we never do it, but it's a treat.

Shop for things on Craigslist or Freecycle if possible.

 

[OccamsTazer]

Two things I love:

Plato's closet! They have fabulous clothes for both sexes at very low prices. Mostly designer stuff, all second hand but looks new. Yesterday I got some adorable Nine West sandals for $10 (yay nice church shoes!) The only downside is the things there are definitely for the 30 and under crowd.

Ladies: Diva cup for our monthly visitor. Won't go into details to spare the men and young'uns, but it's easy, it saves a ton of money, and it's better for the environment.

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

I came from a family that when you left the room you turned out the light. Can't say that for my husband so I just go behind him and turn the off. Also, we were taught that if you get cold put a sweater on and wear slippers.

We have a 2100 sq ft house all electric, swimming pool, swamp coolers, wood burning stove for heat and our average electrical is $60.00 per month. But I want to get it down even further.

 

[DianeB]

Quote:
I do this even at work, church and home. You would be surprised how many people leave on lights long after everyone has left, leave doors and windows open, etc. With all these budget problems you would think that everyone would try not to waste some much electricity.

I tried to put the TV, cable box and DVD player on a powerstrip in our house to turn everything off at night. It didn't go over well. The cable box has to reset itself for all about 15 minutes. No one has the patience to wait 15 minutes so they can scroll down the menu guide to see what is on TV. Sigh!

There was some lady on Oprah about a year ago that talked about how she unplugged everything before she left the house each morning to work. It saved her about $300 a month.

Turning off lights does add up.

DB

 

[mamagardener]

I am just very careful with what I buy. When I go shopping I always ask myself, do you really need this?, and more often than not the answer is no. Also coupons, and wait for sales. My own fruits and veggies, and of course eggs, but wait homegrown eggs cheaper? No way'

'!
I am what you call a true Yankee, I will squeeze a dollar till it screams!